The Hampshire County Commission approved a plan to use previously awarded Office of EMS mental‑health funds for multi‑level training for first responders and community members.

Quincy Malcolm (identified in the meeting as "Mister Malcolm") described two parts of the proposed program: a critical incident stress management two‑series course run by West Virginia University’s Fire Service Extension that will produce certification levels 1 and 2 for critical incident stress managers; and a seminar with Lieutenant David Hodges of the Charleston Fire Department. Malcolm said the training would be open to first responders across Hampshire County and that the funding to pay for it was part of an earlier Office of EMS mental‑health allocation rather than a new county appropriation.

County staff and other speakers discussed options for using the funds to create local instructors (one proposal would train about 16 local instructors by pooling resources with neighboring counties and combining this funding with remaining SAMHSA grant dollars) or, if that proved infeasible, to send personnel to outside courses. Speakers emphasized the program’s potential to expand local capacity and noted that the money had to be allocated by the end of the year.

After questions about whether the commission needed to act, Speaker 3 moved that the Hampshire County Commission work with HCSA on the mental‑health training funding program and follow the procedures in the packet. The motion was seconded, and commissioners approved it by voice vote.

County staff will proceed with scheduling and implementation details, including final dates and instructor selection, and return any required administrative paperwork to the commission.